


Lightning Dragon's Wish

by Kotori_Miu, Rivaxorus



Series: The Lightning Dragon's Wish [1]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Fantasy, Multi, OC, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6725854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotori_Miu/pseuds/Kotori_Miu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivaxorus/pseuds/Rivaxorus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lightning Dragon's Wish is an Akatsuki no Yona fanfiction taking place in no current arc of the manga nor anime. Following the first person point of view of an OC by the name of Shoe Rivers - a lightning dragon from a foreign country. Her goal is to help Yona and to find more about these foreign dragons that live in the Kouka Kingdom. Though along the way, it might become more than that.</p><p>This story may contain mild violence, and character deaths later on. There will be warnings in the notes at the start of each chapter for those.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rivers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone my name is Rivaxorus! I'm new to archive of our own so bear with me trying to figure things out. This fanfiction my friend and I have been working on for a while and is a continued series. Some of it is uploaded on fanfiction.net but I am super excited for us to be able to put it here. So please enjoy!

I remembered something my advisor, let alone my best friend, had told me before I left. “You are here to help the princess regain the throne, don’t go meddling into other affairs.” Yes, that was just it, wasn’t it? I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair, my right hand on my side as I looked out into the forest. How exactly had my journey begun here? Simple really - my blood called for it. As it stood to reason, the four dragons were not the only ones with the blood of their ancestors in their veins. Other countries had many legends, advertising the gods that had created them. King Hiryuu was not the only dragon god to have granted the life of a human. However, that was a legend best saved for another day, wasn’t it?

I was so close I could taste it, to the princess that is. With our sources, word travelled fast. While the Kouka kingdom may not have known it, I knew a lot about what had happened to Yona. The majority of it at least. As I walked down a muddied path, a scent touched my nose and got stronger as I went towards the bustling river. The roar of the heavy rapids filled my ears, yet a muffled voice broke out into the air, “Help me.” a meek voice of a woman said from the river. I rushed over to the bank to find a red headed form struggling to keep herself afloat in the water. Was that Princess Yona? I placed the sword on my side quickly on to the dry patch of bank before jumping into the body of water. I measured my jump to be a few feet in front of her, that way she landed directly into my arms. Luckily enough I was a good swimmer, one would have to be to fight off these powerful waters. My clothes dragged me down none the less, getting some water in my mouth as I finally carried her to shore, pulling the princess onto the bank.

She was still conscious, breathing heavy as her chest heaved. It didn’t look like she had ingested any water, I, on the other hand, spat out the foul water from my palate at the remembrance. Thank god she was simply disturbed and startled by the incident, still regaining herself, but she suddenly sat up. 

“Princess!” I perked my head, grabbing my sword and placing it back into my side as Yona tried to stand. I placed my hands on her shoulders.

“You shouldn’t move.” I warned as she sat back down again. I took note of a silver form joined by a few others approaching me. Already taking the offensive as he bared his fangs, my heart took a single beat. White Dragon, Blue dragon, Yellow Dragon and Green. There was also a young boy, and a strong looking man with them. If I could only learn their names, Princess Yona was the only one I knew of by name. 

“Who are you? Get away from the princess right now.” The white dragon hissed and the dark haired human was about to lunge with his large weapon when Yona stood up in front of me. 

“Don’t hurt her, she saved me from the river.” Yona argued as I took a step back, blinking. I probably would have spoken more but I was just amazed I had found them all in a short amount of time. Yona went and turned towards me, we were just around the same height, if not I was only about an inch taller than her. “What’s your name?” I froze up for a moment. 

“Shoe….” I breathed as she smiled, “Are you...Princess Yona?” I heard audible gasps from the others as the dark haired man clenched his teeth and glared at me with his sharp blue eyes. 

“So you know who I am?” she continued on as if it were nothing as the others stood by. I watched them, a little worried before I looked at her. 

“A little… I’m not an enemy if that’s what you are assuming. I’m simply - well…. it’s a bit complicated really.” I became a little frustrated with myself until she grabbed my hands gingerly, looking at me with a smile. 

“You don’t have to tell me, why don’t we sit down and talk?” she grinned as the others started to relax. The white dragon, however, spoke up. 

“Princess, are you sure we can trust this person? She’s wielding a sword.” he gestured towards Matthias at my side. 

“I’m not gonna kill someone I just saved - honestly why would I want to kill her? All you guys have done is bare your fangs when she’s showed me kindness.” I had to say out loud. Honestly, my advisor would scoff at their behavior. In all the kingdoms it was never nice to be holding your own. Yet, in their circumstances I did suppose I could understand why they were always at arm's length with each other. This seemed to tame them down, as the young, fairly beautiful boy came to Yona’s side. “You’re soaking wet! How did you even fall in the river in the first place? You scared me half to death!”, he sighed as he pulled a hand down his face, “Never mind, let's find somewhere dry to camp and get you out of those clothes before you catch a cold.” Yona gave the boy a warm smile before turning in my direction, “You're wet as well, so come stay by our fire tonight. It's the least we can do.” With her words there was no possible room to complain, not from me nor her companions. 

Everyone settled around a group of trees, one of them started a fire that lit up the area nicely. Yona’s clothes were drying over a tree, she wearing the dark haired man’s shirt and coat in order to cover herself. I refused to take off my clothes, saying the warmth of the fire would dry them plenty. I’d rather get a cold then have to take them off at the moment. Regardless I was a bit more resilient than a normal human at least. I let out a sigh, so here I am, sitting by the fire of whom I've been searching for and yet I didn't have the guts to say anything.

“Shoe, what are you doing here in this forest?” Yona asked me, making my head perk up. I tried to think of a reason, but then I realized. What sort of Queen was I if I did not tell her the truth. 

“I was looking for you… Yona.” I started as my eyes moved over the rest of the group, who still remained suspicious. “With no harmful intent, I actually wanted to help you…. I know a little of the situation you're in and I do think you belong on the throne.” I brushed through my slightly damp hair. “I can’t explain why yet or who I really am, but I’d like you to use me.” I smiled. 

For a moment it seemed like she was debating, but before she could reject me I lifted a finger. Making her look at me quietly. “Why haven’t any of you sensed anything yet?” I mentioned, “You are under the impression there are only four dragons, but… that’s for Kouka.” I crossed my arms again when the Yellow dragon spoke up. 

“Zeno feels it, not as strong as it was with the other dragons but - you’re also one.” I blinked for a moment. Speaking in third person was he? Yet he was spot on as I nodded my head. 

“So before you reject me, think about that. While I may not be your dragon. I do wish to help you in whatever it is you want to obtain.” I pressed a hand against my face. The dark haired male clicked his tongue, making my blood boil slightly. Some electricity fell from my lips but I let it pass. My temper would be the end of me here. I noticed a small squirrel jump from the blue dragon and towards me. I flinched a bit as he jumped onto my knees. The blue dragon stared at me quietly as I timidly patted the animal.


	2. Newcomer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoe is only just getting to know the group. It seems like Hak likes her enough though.

“Okay.” I looked at the princess, “If what you say is true then - I’d like to borrow your power.” she smiled and laughed a bit. I had the electricity lungs of a dragon, that enough was to spark fires and the like. It was blue in color rather than yellow. I was about to speak more when the green dragon decided to make himself comfortable next to me. 

“What’s a lov - “

“I’m married.” I retorted quickly as he seemed to get a little fizzled. “I would like to know all your names before we go any further though.” The green dragon moped as he scooted away from me. While my marriage was simply a formality between two kingdoms - it was the best way to stop men like him from bothering me. 

“That’s Hak, my childhood friend.” The blue eyed man gave a frown at her words and ducked his head, perhaps in a curt bow but I wasn't too sure. She moved on and pointed to each person as she spoke, “Shin-ah over there is the blue dragon, the one next to you is the green dragon, Jae-ha. The white dragon is Kija and Zeno is the yellow dragon.” Yona introduced all of them, as Shin-Ah pointed to the Squirrel. “Ao.” I blinked before looking at the creature and smiled as he rubbed his face on my hand in greeting.  
The handsome boy suddenly popped his head out from the makeshift tent on the other side of the fire, a bundle of materials in his hands, “Don't forget me!” The princess laughed as she gave an apologetic look, “Sorry, that's Yoon. He is practically our mother.” The group chuckled as Yoon grumbled from inside the tent. I gave a small laugh as well before calling everyone's attention back with my words,

“Nice to meet you all. I look forward to travelling together.”

“Shoe-sama are you sure we’re going the right way?” Kija said as I looked over to him. We were looking for a neutral village to get supplies from - it would have been bad of me not to do my research. Though more like my advisor had done it for me, she had told me everything there was to know about the Kouka empire that we could gather. I stopped with my hand on my sword as I looked at the path ahead. The scent was still good. 

“Positive…. why?” I looked at him, if there was anything I could do to put their minds at ease I would do so. Though it was obvious my misinformation on who I was other than someone with dragon's blood was still raising alarms. Kija seemed to stop for a moment as I looked at the others behind us. That's right, if this town wasn’t safe I certainly would be placing all of them in danger. “Don’t worry, this village doesn’t support anyone.” While we were in the fire tribe’s territory all would be well. I believed that truly. 

Once we reached the edge of the town, it bustling with people and shops-perfect for our purpose, we decided who was going to stay behind and watch Hak’s weapon and some of their gear. Shin-Ah and Zeno were picked out of the group, much to their dislike shown by their frowns, but they didn’t saying anything against it. As the small group walked down the path, entering into the town, I walked to the left of Yona as Hak was to her right. Kija and Jae-Ha seemed to have gone off on their own once we came upon the many shops adorning the town. Yoon stuck close, he had notified me he was looking for shops that sold medicine, so he was keeping a sharp eye on all the booths. Finding one would be easy enough, this town had natural herbs all over the place, though the plants were owned by farmers. I stood outside a shop that caught Yona and Yoon’s eye, one with brilliant colors of silk adorning the edges and a mixture of herbs inside. Hak rooted himself next to me as they went inside. 

“Do you think I’m going to hurt her?” I asked a little out of the blue. He seemed to ignore me as far as his gaze went. He didn’t have his weapon with him, but I still remained with my sword. It was kind of like my life-line. Hak’s steel-blue eyes shut and he leaned his head back, a sigh left his lips. I blinked at his reaction.

“I wouldn’t let you even if that was your intentions.” he replied coolly as I looked on ahead as well, a smirk on my lips as I nodded at his words. True, she had a large group protecting her; you had to be really skilled or a major idiot in order to try and assassinate someone in a group of dragons and whatever Hak was. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t share everything about myself, but I trust you if that says anything. It’s like the position you and Yona are in. There are things you couldn’t have possibly told the dragons yet; something you don’t want to tell no less can’t.” That seemed to spark something in him. I could see his muscles contracting by the way his shoulders moved, almost like a shrug, but spending the majority of my time around silent people in my country it was easy to tell someone’s emotions by the little movements they make. Hak was about to say something when Yoon bursts through the door. 

“Shoe, you are really amazing! This shop had a lot of rare herbs in it and for cheap too!” I smiled as I turned towards him. 

“My a- my friend does do a lot of healing. While I can’t do any of it well we get a lot of our herbs from this village.” My advisor was also my healer but I felt I couldn’t bring that up quite yet. The Lightning dragon’s blood was a dangerous power as much as it was a powerful one. With my lungs struggling, it also made my blood black in color. I could have compared it to the blue dragon, but my clan had better luck when it came to acceptance. It was more training how to control the power inside of you. A flash of green and silver graced my eyes as I spotted Jae-Ha and Kija bickering silently as they walked through the crowd, spotting us after a moment. Kija waved excitedly as he rushed to our group, Jae-Ha pouting slightly as he came too. Yoon was still gleaming at his bundle of herbs in his arms as Kija went to Yona to tell her of all the beautiful accessories they saw that would fit her perfectly, making her giggle at his excitement. It struck me a little - she was adorable. I couldn’t help but to smile, feeling Hak’s gaze on me before we started to walk further into the town to see if there was anything else that we needed. 

“Something about this village seems a bit off.” Yona seemed to inquire as I stopped to see what she meant. We were walking near the farm lands, but it did seem a little too quiet. Especially compared to the inner town, but this was an eerie sort of silence. Normally workers were in the field all day, along with simply a cow or two there, but there was no one out nor any movement except for us, it made me frown slightly. As Yoon poked my side my frown disappeared and I looked to him. I waved my hand as a gesture that there was nothing to be said as we continued towards our next destination; the butcher shop. This time it was something I suggested - I wanted to cook something for them tonight. However, the clerk standing at the entrance of the shop didn’t look like he was all too happy. 

“If you’re looking to buy something we can’t afford it right now, I’m just holding up the shop for those wanting to help the shop out.” he told me as I stood closer. 

“Why is that, sir?” I asked as he blinked for a moment, eyes moving over Hak and Yona for a single moment. 

“The cattle have been abducted lately, we don’t know if it’s a bunch of bandits or what. Sometimes we find them torn to pieces for fun near the mountains.” I hummed for a moment.

“Would you pay me if I got rid of them?” I asked for a moment as Jae-Ha let out an impressed whistle at my words. Yoon’s jaw dropped and he shoved me aside. 

“Sorry, we can’t….. our friend here is just a bit of a bird brain.” I glared at him for a moment, placing my hands on my hips. 

“I’ll do it myself then, at sundown. That way I don’t have to share the winnings.” I hissed as he glared at me. 

“You want to get yourself killed.” Hak placed a hand between us. 

“Okay children, a few bandits shouldn’t be any trouble but you kiddies should stay home.” Hak’s voice sounded very off putting. Sarcastic if I had to put a word to it. I rolled my eyes instinctively before catching myself. That was the first time I had let my guard down around them, making my body stir slightly. As Hak seemed to be taken note of that as he smirked, making me glare at him. 

“Hak teases everyone like that.” Yona said as she seemed a bit flustered, as if a fight was about to break out. I leaned forward as I gave a confident, toothy smile in Hak’s direction with my arms folded across my chest.

“I probably am just as good at swordplay as you are with your Hsu Quandao… why don’t Hak and I take care of them ourselves then?” I sent a glance at Yoon who sighed in defeat. It was decided that Hak and I would be spending the night near the fields to see what this bandit problem was about. Which I had no problem with at all. 

The night air here was bitter, as I leaned against my sword we walked near the rice fields. After the others had seen us off, we hadn’t even exchanged one word to each other. As much as I wanted to talk to him it always felt like words got caught in my throat. I didn’t want to lose my temper with him - I had seen he and Kija fight with each other before. However, I probably could knock Hak out if I tried. I wasn’t about to brag about my skills - as far as I knew he was a previous general. However, I was born and raised into a family of not only dragons but with swordplay as our main source of protection. 

“Why do they call you the Thunder Beast?” I decided to ask as Hak leaned against his spear, making a small humm in the back of his throat. 

“Who knows, it’s just a nickname I picked up. What about you - dragon. What’s your color and power anyway?” I looked at him. 

“Not a color but an element, in my country there’s three known dragons.” I shoved my hand over my mouth - I had just given away that I wasn’t from this country. Hak blink for a moment but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He whistled, probably about to say something else, but then his face turned dark as he suddenly pushed me into the rice fields. I felt water soaking up my back and I clutched his shoulders, a deep hiss coming from my mouth. He suddenly covered my mouth with a hand. I felt panic setting in from the situation, my body shivered as my hands simply clutched his shoulders weakly before I tried to push him off.


	3. Kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somethings not right here

“Hold still.” He whispered, I felt bitter tears forming up at the corners of my eyes. I could hear it though, there was a couple of men rustling out into the fields. I stopped moving and my breathing jagged as he removed his hand from my jaw. I stayed perfectly still aside from my shivering. Tears continued to fall from my cheeks until I kicked Hak clear into the stomach and sent him back, pulling out Matthias I turned towards the sounds of the men. There were three of them holding small daggers. They were turned towards some idle cows-their targets-until they heard the loud grunt Hak produced when he was sent flying into the air, no less the sound of him hitting the road so hard. Hak looked at the stars for a moment, dazed before he put a hand to his stomach and sat up, glaring at me from the dark, “What the hell?” Hak said audaciously but I ignored him, my eyes sparked to their lavender color as I clenched my teeth - bloodlust peaking as I shot forward, suddenly nose to nose with one of the three men. He jerked back, his mouth agape, but any noise he was going to make was cut off as I suddenly disappeared from his sight, clenching Matthias as I hit him on the back of the neck with the hilt; knocking him out. Before the robust man fell to the floor I turned swiftly to the man next to him, lowered my stance to the ground as I shot the hilt of my sword into his lanky companion’s stomach. The third man had little time to react, but he still managed to lunge in my direction, but that just made it easier for me to swirl my sword point to the ground, slide my foot into position and drive the hilt into his chin; making him fly right next to the cow in the rice field. The cow gave a guttural scream as it ran away from the the man’s unconscious body. I never stopped moving as I gave a leap back to where Hak was still semi-slouched on the ground, I pointed my sword at him, just barely grazing his cheek.

“Don’t do that ever again!” I hissed as my hands shivered. Hak seemed to be recovering from my kick as he looked at the men in almost what seemed to be wonder. Was it because I was a woman he automatically assumed I wouldn’t be able to use my sword properly? I clicked my tongue and placed Matthias back in its sheath with an audible click. “Jeez, I get it.” He said as he scratched the back of his head with a surly expression, I glared at him furiously. It seemed he had gotten the idea, flinching a bit. 

“I am not princess Yona - don’t go bothering to protect me.” I scented the air to make sure there wasn’t anymore bandits, three seemed to be like a short amount to be stealing this cattle. However, it was clear there had to be more, they had to have hounds with them too since some of the cattle were ripped apart. I kept my hand on my sword as I picked up a musty scent coming from the East. “Do you...” I trailed off as I clenched Matthias, but Hak already knew what I was getting at.

“Yeah.” Hak acknowledged he knew they were there. About thirty or more - with each having a hound in between them. Dogs were a vital weapon at times, it made me bare my fangs as Hak got his Hsu Quandao ready. They began to circle around us, water sloshing as some entered the rice. We faced each other’s back so that none snuck up on us as I drew matthias again. ‘Keep your temper under control.’ A voice in my head said. My knuckles were white as the hounds were released onto us, I kept my head clear as Hak and I lunged forward - ending up in a frenzy.

We ended up taking half and half on the troops, these people were complete pushovers. I didn’t even have to use my electricity. We both knew well enough not to kill them so I continued to use my hilt and sometimes my legs to kick off a snarling dog. As it stood it seemed it was enough for Hak to see me as an equal since he never once looked onto my side to see if I need any assistance. If there was ever an important part in my life that was it. A well-built man with dark hair and a deep scowl rammed his shoulder into me from the side. I elbowed the bandit whom I was pushed into as he tried to attack, I turned back to the scowling man with a small smirk. Judging solely by the force of his tackle I’d say he’s the strongest man here, maybe even the leader by the fearful glances the other bandits are giving him. I felt a rush of air on my back from the force of Hak’s swing, loud cries from his side to follow suit. I couldn’t let him beat everyone on his side first, so I have to keep up. I lowered my center of gravity and let out a shallow breath as I darted through the string of people, knocking them out as I go. It took only a few moments but the rest of the bandits on my side were slowly falling to the dirt, all but one. I left the leader for last, maybe he’ll give me more of a challenge. The large man looked around at his unconscious men and took a step back, bolting away suddenly. Shocked, since he didn’t look like the type to run, I was about to go after him when a scent touched my nostrils. It was distant and faint and the musty, sweaty smell of the bandits around me masked it well, but it was there. Something familiar that nagged at the back of my mind, I bit my lip as I thought when a hand touched my shoulder, bringing me out of my musings.

“Tired?” Hak teased as I elbowed him. 

“Hardly.” I answered with a hiss against my tone, Hak couldn’t help but to laugh as he let his weapon rest against his shoulder. The bandits had been taken care of, all but one, but at the speed he was running I’m sure he won’t make trouble for a long while- and along with that I had practically gained the trust of one of the most important members of the group. It had gotten a lot darker but it was easy enough to tell by scents who he was - and the fact Yona was a bit oblivious to him made me feel bad for the guy. As we started back towards the camp, the dim moon light showing our way, it seemed like our companions were in a panic judging by how fast all of them ran to meet them. Yoon rushed up to Hak first. 

“Thunder Beast, we have a problem! I don’t know where Yona went.” I could see Hak’s muscles jolt - a clear sign of his worry. As I looked at Yoon waiting for him to explain further. “She must have tried to follow the two of you. She said she would be right back but Shin-ah can’t even find her.” Shin-Ah nodded fervently at this and the crackling in Yoon’s voice was met by Hak squeezing his shoulder. I calmly stayed put, but my mind exploded in recollection. That scent I picked up on the battlefield was Yona’s. And that leader ran right towards her scent too. I kicked myself mentally for not realizing it right away, how could I not? Since she hasn’t come back something had to have happened to her. I bit my lip subconsciously. 

“Where’s the last time you saw her?” I asked quickly, Hak looking towards me as if I was barging in on matters that didn’t concern me. Though, if she was using me as her dragon it made all the more sense to try and protect her, right? I ignored it as I walked forward. 

“Zeno last saw her at the camp. The missus hasn’t come back so we thought she tried to follow you guys.” Kija stepped forward at that point, panic in his eyes as he spoke, “Her bow is also gone.” Jae-Ha clicked his tongue as he looked away, irritation and concern on his face. His legs were fidgeting as if he wanted to jump into the sky and find her right now, but with this darkness even he knew he wouldn’t have any luck up there.


	4. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yona was kidnapped, but Shoe's on it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uploading schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays ^^ I hope this chapter ain't too short.

I could see it though- she was no useless soul. Even if it took a bit to see it, the fire in her soul was something only a person could learn if they had everything taken away from them. As soon as Kija mentioned her bow, however, Hak was gone. Looking for her no doubt. Yoon watched as the man stormed off before looking at me, looking for some sort of direction. “Stay at the camp just in case she comes back, I might have an idea of what happened.” I noted as Yoon looked a little bit surprised. Before I left Jae-Ha grabbed my arm, “I’m not going to stay here and just wait. Who gave you the right to order us around anyways?” I glowered at his arm till he removed it from my person but his determined eyes did not waver. I looked at the other dragons and I could see they all felt the same. “Well I don’t see anyone else taking charge. You can listen to me or not, but I have the princess’ safety in the front of my mind when I tell you this. You need to go find Hak and help him look for her. Shin-Ah, I could use your eyes so you come with me, please.” He nodded without hesitation, setting Ao into Yoon’s hands. Kija squirmed for a moment as he looked to Jae-Ha, “What about me? I’m coming too!” Jae-Ha strolled over to him and put a firm hand on his shoulder to stop his fidgeting. “You and Zeno need to stay here and protect Yoon and the camp.” He gave a side glance at me, almost as if he’s saying he’s taking charge now. “Yona might come back too, so you need to stay here.” Kija pouted for a bit, still looking as if he wanted to argue but he stilled his tongue. Zeno looked strangely solemn too, but he didn’t speak. I could feel an urgency in my chest, “Okay, let’s get going!” The green dragon clicked his tongue as he leaped into the air and in the direction Hak went. I looked up at him, I knew his power but it was still amazing to see it in person. I shook my head- no time to be admiring his strength, we need to find the princess.

I headed into the forest, my senses coming alive as I relaxed, pulling out my sword and trying to pinpoint the princess’ scent. Shin-Ah looking all around for the chance to spot anything suspicious or something that could lead us to Yona. As soon as I had managed to grab hold of the familiar scent I was looking for we carefully walked along the edge of a river that bordered the town. On the other side was a cave, it looked to have been used by wild bears at one point, but my heart started to beat when I felt at the ominous feeling the place gave off. The bandits had probably taken Yona while she was out - yes, she had tried to follow us. However, it seemed more or less like she had been interrupted. I couldn’t see Hak anywhere, his scent coming from the complete opposite direction. We cautiously entered the cave and scaled the far end of the wall, the darkness becoming more than I could take. Shin-Ah suddenly grabbed my hand and started to lead me down the dark path inside the cave. My body jolted, rejecting the touch, but the warmth and tenderness from his palm calmed my nerves slightly- I still didn’t like the touch but I bared with it. There we saw a small flicker of light at the end of a large cave. Shin-Ah stopped, making me collide into him, but I stifled any suprised noise. “Yona..” The blue dragon whispered as he pointed. I pulled him off to the side as laughter floated from down further into the cave. Tightening my grip on the sword I could see a man with his foot on the princess’ head. It made my anger flare up. Her whimpering filled my ears and I tried to keep my breathing calm. Shin-Ah’s grip on my hand tightened at the scene and I knew he was just as angry as me at that moment. 

“You should have thought about wandering off without your friends, a beauty like you will be sold for a high price.” He gave a boisterous laugh, holding a dagger in his hand. I carefully crouched, pulling Shin-Ah by the hand to crouch and walk with me before letting go, touching the wall slightly- if we burst in now it could be a problem because we didn’t know if he was alone. He could have had a small amount of men with him. However, the smell of Yona’s blood was overpowering my senses because I was worried about her. I tried to concentrate elsewhere, anywhere in the cave besides her. Carefully, we inched closer. As he pulled her up by her hair, I slipped inside and cut straight through his hand, at the wrist - it almost felt like I had snapped. The princess’ face, was nothing less than surprised as her hair was freed forcefully from the man’s grip. 

The man stumbled backwards as his dagger fell to the, clutching his bleeding appendage. The scent of blood made me sick as I clicked my tongue. “Bastard! How could a woman do this to me!” He yelled sternly at me until he caught sight of my face. His twisted face was stunned instantly as his complexion went white- he realized who I was. He was alone and almost catatonic so I decided to turn to Yona, Shin-Ah by her side on the ground, fretting on what to do. I placed Matthias back in its sheath as I outstretched my hand for her to grab. Some of his blood had gotten on her. So I instinctively brushed it off - wiping it free of her face. 

“Sorry I’m late. Princess.” She blinked as I helped her onto her feet. Her own blood was covering the corner of her mouth and it seemed her wrist was bruised from being pulled around. I quickly picked her up in my arms, she giving a small yelp of surprise. Shin-Ah pointed at himself and tilted his head. “It’s okay Shin-Ah, I can carry her. Go up ahead and tell Yoon to prepare medicine for Yona’s wounds. I’ll follow your scent so don’t worry.” He nodded, taking a look at Yona for a moment before turning around and headed out of the cave and towards the camp. I took one more look at the man, he was in a stupor, maybe from the pain of losing his arm or from the shock of the woman who killed his men finding him again after he ran away. Either way he’s not going anywhere and with no pressure on that wound he’ll fall into death’s grip and I have no problem with that. I made my way out of the cave and to the forest, running with the princess in my arms. “I can walk, truly. There’s no need to carry me, Shoe.” I gave a small chuckle, “I don’t mind carrying you one bit; you’re as light as a feather, plus it’s faster this way.” She gave a small blush and looked away from my face as I jumped over a fallen tree, “Hak always says I’m heavy and pokes fun at my weight.” She gave a pout at the memory, but her face looked fairly sad. I sighed, Hak is sabotaging himself, but it’s cute that he teases the one he likes. I looked up ahead to see our campfire, as we approached the camp, Yoon was the first to greet us, medicine in his arms. Hak came into my view, seeming to have just got there with Jae-Ha coming up from the rear, “Princess!” Hak quickly took the small girl from my arms, worry evident on his face as he moved her towards the fire- Yoon trailing along quickly with his bundles. The others gathered around the princess as well, too occupied by taking care of her and asking if she was alright to pay attention to me. As I stood there I just watched Yoon snap at Kija for crying and to ask everyone to give them some breathing room. I suddenly felt almost out of place as I toyed with my finger tips, noticing then that I had blood on my hands and sleeve, looking at it blankly I sighed. Tori, I did it again. I thought.

I sat by the river, trying to get the blood stain out of my sleeve as well as the stench. I would have to say it had been hours since I went to save her. I cursed to myself, I had said to remain calm. While the situation could have turned out far worse - the bloodlust from the dragon's blood made my instincts go wild. I winced as I sighed, watching my breath come out in thick clouds. I heard someone step behind me - it was Yoon. Holding a small cup in his hand, as he offered it to me. 

“Here…. you should drink this.” I blinked for a moment. Sniffing the air - even though blood still remained thickly in my nostrils I could still tell it was mint tea. I laughed, placing a hand against my mouth. “Hey, what’s so funny? You’re the idiot who took on such a dangerous job of taking out all those bandits and even fought the leader alone. Though you had Shin-Ah, I can tell you fought as if you were the only one there,” he pointed to my bloody sleeve, looking up with almost tears in his eyes, “Idiot!” He started to scold me as I stood and took the cup.


	5. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at breaking up paragraphs..... dude I do. Anyway, INTRODUCING LADY TORIIIII

“You’re amazing Yoon.” He blinked - seems like I had confused him. “While I’m glad you were worried, you seem to be all forgetting I’m also someone who carries the dragon blood. I’m not so fragile. I meant what I said when I said I wanted to serve the princess to help her make this country great. No matter what she wants to do.” I don’t know why I was explaining this to him but I was. I smelt the tea, it was just as my advisor made it - Tori - sort of like a sister and a mother to me. “How did you know I was having anxiety?” Yoon looked off to the side frowning with a small blush on his cheeks.

“When you try to isolate yourself without getting thanks from someone, and trying frantically to wash that blood out of your sleeve. It’s not hard to tell.” He muttered. I smiled and took a drink of it, taking in a deep breath. 

“You’re too kind…. Yoon.” I muttered.

_Lightning Dragon Fun fact, Strong electric lungs of a dragon - radiates through the body. For the body to keep up the blood has thickened and becomes black due to high iron count. However, - the lightning dragon is much like the blue dragon. Their powers take a toll on their body - and Shoe tends to use it more when she’s angry._

“Come on it’s this way!” I pointed down the path, I was way ahead of everyone as we walked towards the next town - this time it was one riddled with poverty. Yona had said something about wanting to help more towns and this was the closest one I knew of. Though it was known for it’s shady activity too, I was sure we could handle that fairly easy. In the middle of my walk, I was stopped by Jae-Ha. I blinked, looking at the green dragon. What he said next was nothing but surprising. 

“You should leave.” I blinked at his words, recoiling my hand. 

“Jae-Ha - “ The green dragon turned the princess down with a raise of his hand. 

“Me and Kija were thinking about it for a while. Dragon blood or not Yona already has the four dragons from the Kouka kingdom - you’re leading her into dangerous situations and you drag us down. Not to mention there is still a lot we don’t know about you, we can’t trust you.” Kija folded his large arm across his chest and gave a weary, but certain nod. I took a step backwards, my expression did surprise him a bit. I probably looked like a startled rabbit - I hadn’t meant for this to happen. Right after I told Yoon why I was staying in the first place, what was the point of telling Tori I was going on an important adventure. If I could help Kouka at all, it wouldn’t be as a Queen because my kingdom was on the other side of the Kai empire. 

“She’s staying.” I turned to Princess Yona who glared at Jae-Ha. Not out of spite it seemed, just something that she firmly believed. “Shoe hasn’t meant us any harm even if it happened by coincidence. Besides she saved me and is offering up her strength as a dragon from another land.” Hak didn’t seem to want to be in the conversation at all. His gaze was off to the side as Yoon smiled. 

“Though we would prefer you leave the planning to the handsome genius - and at least take one of the dragons with you if you’re going out on a hunt.” Yoon had that mothering tone that reminded me of Tori so much. Zeno jumped up and down, “Zeno likes the missus! She’s kind!” His toothy, genuine smile touched my heart. Shin-Ah nodded too as Ao jumped off his shoulder and onto mine, “Ao, likes her too.” He spoke gently. They were defending me. I hadn’t spoken to them much but they were defending me, I started to tear up. Jae-Ha flinched at the sight, but I couldn’t help holding them back anymore as I burst out into tears. 

“Now look what you did White Snake you made a girl cry. Isn’t that against some code of yours too Droopy Eyes?” Hak teased as Kija flared up nervously, eyes wide and hands waving as he stuttered what might have been a form of apology if he wasn’t so flustered. The green dragon seemed unnerved as well as he looked away, biting his lip with a pained expression. I lowered my head as I tried to wipe my eyes just as Yona approached me. She put a hand onto my trembling back and rubbed it in circles as she wiped my tears gently with her other hand. She smiled softly. 

“There’s no need to cry.” she gave a soft, almost soothing laugh as I watched Kija look apologetically at me, tears almost in his eyes as well. Jae-Ha stiffened when he felt my eyes on him, still refusing to look at me, but he had this worried frown and scrunched features that told me he was sorry but didn’t know how to say it. I looked to the others, almost as confirmation that what they said wasn’t just my imagination. Shin-Ah put his pointer fingers to his cheeks and exaggeratedly dragged his features up into a smile, tilting his head as he did so. I couldn’t help but to give a choked laugh that didn’t come out of my throat quite right. Zeno, looking at the blue dragon, turned to me and did the same thing; dragging the corner of his lips up into a crooked, toothy smile. Hak gave a side smile when my face finally turned to him. The small nod in my direction was one of the most comforting things I received. Yona spoke again, more sternly now that I’ve calmed down, “You are staying.”

“But….. - You all.” I said almost frustratedly at the lack of words I produced. Even if I did find the words and put them in a sentence it wouldn’t be enough to express how I felt. I found myself wrapping my arms around the princess, pressing my face into her shoulder. She gently patted my head as I tried to control my crying. No one’s ever been so sincere about that to me. 

After that I stayed in the back with Yona, Hak, and Yoon. Jae-Ha and Kija were still not happy but with how everything played out they were loosening up. And Shin-Ah and Zeno lead the group in the front. Ao ran a lap from one of my shoulders to the next with a lively “P’Kyuu” as he rubbed my cheek in an attempt to comfort me. Making me smile as I wiped my red, puffy eyes that were a product of my crying. I hadn’t realized how much of a bossy person I had been - or maybe just rushing into things I probably shouldn’t have. This wasn’t home after all, and I wasn’t immortal. Any wrong move could have very much gotten me killed. Which was a scary thought, my younger brother probably wouldn’t have been very happy about that. 

“This village you’re taking us too, it’s another one in need of help?” Yoon asked as I blinked towards him. Trying to collect my thoughts.

“Yeah, it was the closest I thought we could maybe help.” Now that I thought about it, that was a stupid idea. I wrinkled my nose as Yona patted my shoulder. 

“What’s important is that you wanted to help them right? We can stop and help.” I smiled and nodded my head. The Princess really was great, what was this though? I could see Hak smirking at the corner of my eyes. I looked ahead, and tried to ignore it. Shin-Ah stopped us with a wave of his hand before we came into view of the village. “Shin-Ah what’s wrong?” Yona asked as the blue dragon remained quiet. 

“Soldiers.” He said as Yoon let out a sigh. So much for this idea, it would be dangerous for the princess to wander into a village with the soldiers there. I stopped for a moment as an unmistakable scent drifted to me. There was a screech from the sky, making the group look up to the high sun; a large shadow fell onto us. “Bird.” Shin-Ah spoke quietly and I felt a smile spread over my features as the bird flew closer, landing on my shoulder. 

“Ak-sa!” I exclaimed, my happiness starting to rise. “It’s okay they aren’t Fire Tribe soldiers!” I grinned as I started to run towards the village. Kija went to reach for me but it was no use as I quickly ran closer to the town. The soldiers were marked with black clothing with small purple accents. The collar of their armor having a dragon strewn across it. Their dark metal armor shown fiercely in the sun as I came into view of them; In the middle of the small mass of soldiers was a woman. They were chatting, it was clear by the way she used her hands to exaggerate her words. I couldn’t help but let out an excited laugh as I stopped halfway up the road, catching my breath as the dragons and the others caught up with me. 

“Shoe, what’s going on?” Yona asked as I smiled, it seemed to catch her by surprise. It almost seemed like I was going to throw into a fit of giggling. Once the lady spotted me she blinked and smiled as she gave a curt wave, the ring of soldiers immediately clinked their armor in a joint motion as they moved away; opening the circle. I didn’t give anyone time to react as I charged forward, the peregrine falcon flying off my shoulder at my sudden motion, doing a loop as it landed on Yona’s own shoulder. Once I got a foot away from the blond haired girl I jumped up, wrapping my hands around her neck tightly. 

“Lady Tori!!!” I exclaimed, almost in near tears as she returned the hug just as tight. I pulled away, a sigh leaving my lips as I looked at her smiling face, taking a moment to relish it before I turned to the others. I dipped my head to them, waving one hand high in the air while the other hung around Tori’s shoulders in a side hug. “It’s safe here, this is my friend Tori.” I explained, seeming to put their minds at ease to a certain extent, but they still looked to the guards wearily. “Why’s she surrounded by guards?” Yoon asked, rather suspicious of the men. It made my hair stand on end, they couldn’t know who I was just yet. I could feel Tori’s calm eyes on me as I rolled words over in my mind.

“She’s the equivalent to a priest, I guess?” I decided to answer with a scratch to the back of my head. Yoon perked up at the mention of a priest and the others looked confused at my half-assed answer. Tori stepped in front of me in order to face the others, smoothing her white robes before she bent in an elegant bow. She rose her head with a serene smile, “It’s nice to meet you all. You have my thanks for letting Shoe accompany you on your travels.” The group gave a bow, her atmosphere made it feel like they had to. When Yona went to bow the bird on her person began to fluster; she stroked it underneath her beak in apology. “Her name’s Ak-Sa. She’s Tori’s partner.” I walked over to the princess, an affectionate grin at Ak-Sa as I patted her head along with Yona. 

“Shoe… you should smile like that more often.” Yona’s tone caught me off guard, making my heart skip a beat momentarily. Tori came to my side, looking at me with her usual smile and her eyes shining.


	6. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tease

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in works, life's been busy.

“If you keep frowning like you do your husband is going to make fun of you.” She teased, poking me softly in the side as I laughed. King Emil was hardly fit for such things. My companions looked to me, perhaps they haven’t heard me laugh with such ease like this till now. “I’m sorry Tori, I’ll introduce everyone later, but do you have a better place for us to talk and catch up?” She nodded her head, placing her hands gently in front of her, “Of course. I acquired a place to lodge just a little ways into town. You all are welcome, of course. There’s plenty of room.”

The building was fairly old but the inside was larger and nicer than the outside. We didn’t see many people on our way here, though being surrounded by armed guards would deter anyone from approaching. The guards bowed to me and Tori, I sweated slightly at this, but to the other it must have looked to just be to Tori since their faces didn’t change too much. The metallic noise of armour rubbing was the only sound in the empty home as the guards disappeared further into the building; leaving us amongst ourselves. It took no time for Yoon to find the kitchen, pulling out tea leaves from his bag as he searched for cups. The others wandered naturally around too, Hak sitting up against a nearby wall-one close to the low seated table Kija, Shin-Ah, and Zeno found themselves at. Jae-Ha stood close, his arms folded as he stood against the wall, looking to Yoon as he came in with a tray of tea. Yona helped him pass out all the cups before sitting herself next to Hak on the wall. Tori and I were the last to take a seat; there was just enough room at the table for us to be comfortable. The scent of mint touched my nose as I looked at the tea Yoon handed me. Even if we hadn’t met too long ago it seemed he knew me too well. Tor stole a glance at the mint leaf in my cup and my ghost of a smile as she poked my side, making me grimace slightly. Before she or I could say anything to each other Yona spoke up, pointing a question in Tori’s direction.

“Why are you here anyways, Tori?” Yona asked as she took a sip of tea. Tori sat straighter at the sound of Yona’s voice, her posture and sitting form one of grace. She was the type of person who always kept a civil tone and a smile on her face, sometimes the smile may be one of teasing, but she always had a welcoming feeling around her. She really was well mannered - almost my complete opposite when it came to that. Tori looked to the red headed girl properly as she spoke,

“Helping. I actually heard about the Fire Tribe helping out their citizens so I took it upon myself to help them out since the representative had to return to the headquarters.” Yona’s eyes sparkled for a moment, “Thank you so much for helping. If everyone helps out the villages that are suffering, even a little bit, then the Fire Tribe may get well sooner.” Hak’s eyes softened as they peered to the princess next to him, which didn’t escape my notice, but Kija’s intense stare in my direction, his lips forming a stern line, caught my attention more. 

“Then how do you know this barbarian?” Well, didn’t that sting? As I looked rather un-amused Hak couldn’t help but to let a chuckle leave his lips. Tori looked to the white haired dragon, her eyes a little sharper on his gaze then perhaps was intended but the smile as she spoke showed her amusement. 

“Barbarian? Yes, that seems to fit well. Shoe’s always been a wild child but it’s been my job to take care of her. We’re childhood friends after all. But when she told me she was going on a journey to find Princess Yona and the four dragons I almost thought she was joking.” Tori let out a small chuckle at the memory, taking a drink of her tea as I did the same; trying to ignore the conversation partially. 

“Hak and I grew up together too - though he’s older then me by about two years.” Yona said in thought.

“How old are you Yona?” Tori asked as I placed the tea down on the floor, my eyes were closed at the moment. I was just listening, that way I didn’t have to meet the other dragon’s gazes either. 

“Sixteen.” Yona answered as I opened my eyes in realization of where this conversation was headed. Tori was not thinking about telling them our ages, was she? Of course we looked to be around Jae-ha’s age, but there was more to it than that.

“How old are you this year, Shoe?” Tori spoke with her fingertip pressed to her lips in thought, “Your daughter just turned Sixteen now that I think about it.” Tori smirked as Jae-ha spit out his drink, coughing roughly to the point he had to sit down instead of stand. Well, I had said I was married so he really shouldn’t have been that startled.

“You have a daughter?!” Yoon was the one to exclaim this fact first. “I would have thought that you were Jae-ha’s age.” Jae-Ha looked at Yoon incredulously, as if he was asking him how old they thought he was. Yoon raised an eyebrow in anticipation to my answer, ignoring the green dragon, as I leaned back. 

“I’ll be thirty five this year and yes, I have a daughter whose the same age as Yona. She’s probably the complete opposite in personality though.” I flopped onto my back, letting my legs spread underneath the table. I let out a large yawn, all eyes on me as I did so, some mouths still agape by the shock of the news. “It’s getting late. Maybe we should sleep!” I rolled over, trying to get out of the conversation. Even if I was about to knock out I could hear Tori speaking. She knew I’d be listening - but it didn’t matter. “Has Shoe been alright since she’s been with you?” Tori asked, bringing their attention to her. Her features showed she was a little worried. I sighed mildly. She doesn’t need to worry about me so much, but I can’t help that, so let the words continue. “She doesn’t have the healthiest of bodies so I was worried, you see, but she means well even if she gets in all sorts of trouble.” I grumbled for a moment, but knowing she cared always made me feel better. The soft chattering of their voices, the recanting of stories, and gentle laughter lulled me to sleep quicker than I thought.

“Shoe-sama. Shoe-sama, how long are you going to sleep?” I opened my eyes to Kija shaking my side. I sat up, rubbing my eyes before I let out a long yawn, stretching as I did so. I scrunched my features as I bit my lip, rolling half-asleep thoughts through my hazed mind; I had just realized I was having a weird dream. I ran my fingers through my hair, everyone seemed to be gone besides for Kija. “It’s nearly noon, Tori-sama said to just let you sleep though.” I groaned slightly. 

“Where is everyone?” I asked as I tried to recollect myself. 

“Tori went to show Hak and Yona around. Shin-Ah and Jae-Ha are helping Yoon collect some supplies for the sick.” Oh, so that was it. I grabbed my sword and attached it to my hip as I stood up. I felt infinitely better, Tori must have noticed because of my tense energy last night that I had needed my rest. 

“Then what are we doing?” I asked for a moment before Yona entered the room, she smiled as she hopped delightedly towards me. 

“Shoe!” She chirped as I stepped back, a little confused. What had caused the princess to become so happy and giddy all of a sudden? I looked at Tori, who entered through the door behind the princess; she held her smile as she usually did. It was starting to unsettle me though, just what had my advisor done? “Tori told me we should go look for some firewood.” Yona placed her hands together before shooting for my own hand, not letting me argue nor pull away as she grasped my fingers. Tori walked to my side as she cupped a hand around her mouth, leaning towards me.

“Sorry - I told her how much you admired her while we were out and she just got like this. It just kinda came out.” Tori whispered as I glared at her for a moment. Yona wouldn’t just get like this over something like that, surely not, right? I let out a sigh, feeling Hak watch me from his spot at the door. I looked to Yona’s smiling features for a moment before nodding. I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll go too.

The four of us headed out into the forest, Kija staying behind to watch over the house, much to his displeasure. Tori and Hak had a comfortable silence around them as they moved ahead on the dense forest path, leaving Yona and I still holding hands a few feet behind them. I felt the growing calluses on Yona’s palm, making me very conscious of my own as I tugged away from her tight grasp. I rubbed my wrist and palm, not looking to be the least fazed, Yona started to talk again. 

“You don’t need to be afraid to talk to me, you know? Tori said you had trouble with that sort of thing.” So Tori was sharing my insecurities out with the world. That was a bit displeasing, but I had said I trusted Yona with my life. I wasn’t about to go betraying the princess’ trust. If she trusted me then I could only return it ten times as quickly. I tried to conceal my smile though as my hand went and covered my face. 

“Let’s collect some firewood Princess.” I said, changing the subject as I forced my features back to normal. I started to look around for sticks suitable to start a fire, but my mind went elsewhere. Something that really caught my eye, something I can’t stop thinking about, was how Yona acted most of the time. Being able to tell she was someone who, no matter how uncomfortable she might be with a situation, continues on her way. I sighed for a moment as I looked at the cluster of sticks in my hand that I didn’t even realize I picked up till now. I let the thought sink for a moment. 

“Hey, Shoe - what is it really that made me stand out to you?” I jumped, dropping my small pile of sticks on the ground as I looked up to see Yona right next to me. Putting a hand to my chest I took a moment to catch my breath as Yona looked from the sticks on the ground to me and then continued on. “Tori said something about you looking up to me, but what is there really? We haven’t known each other for that long after all.” She placed a hand on her cheek, trying to figure it out as she let her head tilt to the side. “I’m really good at watching people.” I answered as I started to pick up the sticks I had dropped before heading down the small forest path we were following. The princess hung close, still hoping for an answer from me. “There’s not one thing I can pin point, really. I’ve heard rumors about you before because I’m a dragon - and that’s not the reason why I like you. My king is different….” though there was never a hope of our king returning, I thought almost bitterly.

“You look so small and so frail - but I know you hate that. Even if you’re shivering and terrified you have the self discipline to move through that fear. You might not see yourself as amazing, but not many people can force themselves to do things their bodies are refusing to do.” I smiled as Yona stopped. “No matter what you think about Soo-Won being on the throne, no matter if you think he’s supporting this country. I really do think….” I paused as I looked directly into her fiery eyes, “You could do well on the throne.” I didn’t know anything about what happened to Yona and Soo-Won. I knew that he had done something devilish to get on the throne but how deep the connection between him and Yona was unbeknownst to me. Rumors and information could only come so far after all. I was not a god - as much as I wished. Yona’s expression had changed to something more saddening, and it wasn’t hard to tell why. The face of heartbreak. I knew it all too well not to see it on her face. “You have Hak, so don’t look so down.” I said and instantly she looked at me with her face red.


	7. Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's happening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been awhile since I updated I know! I don't know how many people read this honestly and I was going to scrap it but after some brainstorming with my friend and editor we decided we are going to finish the series. So there are already a bunch of chapters already pre written for me to upload. At the end of it all though, this fanfic should have a solid ending ^^ Please enjoy.

“W-whatever do you mean?!” She said flustered, her eyes looking anywhere but at me as she placed a hand on her cheek. I couldn’t help but to laugh rather loudly. My mouth wide open to show the sharp fangs I had in the front of my mouth. 

“It’s very obvious how you feel, Yona. At least to me it is but I don’t think Hak has caught on yet. You should tell him that you like him though, take your time, but if you aren’t careful someone might try to steal him from you.” I brushed past the princess and caught up to Tori and Hak a few feet away. They were chatting quietly, a large amount of wood in their hands. I linked arms with Tori, making her drop her bundle in surprise as she looked to me questioningly. I couldn’t help but to just snicker in response. I could smell Yona moving about, trying to catch up. I had given her the impression we no longer needed to speak about it but I could tell it was prominent in her mind as she stopped dead in her tracks when she came up to Hak. Her eyes averted his gaze and she shuffled uncomfortably, “A-Ah, I think we have enough wood. Why don’t we head back, yeah?” Hak looked to her with pinched brows at her sudden change of demeanor, but he nodded in agreement none the less. Tori saw the tension surrounding Yona and looked to me with a grin, realizing I had to have been the cause of it. She gave an almost proud look as we softly chuckled to each other on the way back to the house.

As we returned we threw the firewood into a pile near the door. Everyone had returned from their own chores and Yona immediately went to join the dragons at the table, passing Hak in the doorway without a word. Tori let out a shrill whistle; Ak-Sa came from the back room and perched on her ready arm. She gave her a loving nudge as she looked to me, tilting her head at my expression. Now that the others were preoccupied, chatting about their adventures into town, I leaned towards her with my arms crossed.

“You just had to tell her unnecessary things, didn’t you?” Tori looked amused as she extended her arm and Ak-Sa climbed onto my shoulder, snuggling up against my ear; making me recoil.

“Well, your highness, I knew you wanted to talk to her so I simply provided the opportunity to do so. I did say sorry, didn’t I?” She jabbed my shoulder with a finger as she let out a small laugh at my twisted expression before continuing.

“It’s fine, right? I know you, eventually things will get better between the two of you, but teasing her and pushing her will just prolong that time. Perhaps. We’ll see.” I watched as Tori walked away, Ak-Sa going with her. I took a deep breath as I glanced at Yona talking with Yoon. Life was frustrating, but struggling was something we did rather well. 

 

After that little chat with Tori I went to Yona and the group, her face suddenly serious as I approached. 

“Hey, what’s up?” I looked to Yona as I sat a little away from the small group. She turned to Yoon and he lowered his expression in turn. The air was stifling with unease as Shin-Ah and Zeno leaned in closer to the table; watching the three of us and Kija, who was closer to Yoon. 

“Well, Yoon heard some news through town, but he’s not sharing.” Kija spoke as he looked quizzically at the young genius. 

“No, I shouldn’t have even mentioned it! Something was just bugging me, but we definitely don’t want to get mixed up this kind of thing again.” Yona raised an eyebrow at his words, 

“Again?” Yoon groaned at the look in her eyes. He quickly peered around, seeing that Hak wasn’t around, 

“When I went to some of the stalls there was talk of human trafficking in the next town over. Presumably the whole place is made up of traffickers and they’ve almost consumed this town in the last few months.” He paused as he sat back, putting a hand to his chin, 

“I was wondering why there wasn’t really anyone around the edge of the city when we came in and I guess this is why.” Yona stiffened beside me and I could feel a memory from my past lurk behind my eyes, but I push it down. I don’t know what connection Yona had with human trafficking, but by her reaction and the knowing eyes Shin-Ah, Kija, and Zeno had lead me to know they had past experiences with it. Yoon pointed at Yona, 

“I know you. You’re gonna want to help them, like you do with everyone, but just this time please don’t. It’s not like in Awa, we won’t have the pirates there to help us and we have no knowledge about it other then it’s happening.” Well, that answered my suspicions. My mind whirled with thoughts, memories, and overall curiosity. I nodded to myself before rising, calling the attention of the others, 

“You all shouldn’t be involved. Yoon, it’s getting late, why don’t you make dinner. I’ll start the fire.” Kija nodded approvingly at my words,

“We finally agree on something; no getting involved.” I ignored him quite bluntly as I turned to the wood near the door. My body moved but my mind wandered to other places- I want to know of the happenings going on in that town. It’s not my country so I don’t need to get involved, but I can’t help myself with these types of things. My advisor is going to be very angry at me again.

It was just about midnight when I snuck out of the house. The guards from my country needed better training if I could slip their attention so easily, but Hak on the other hand wasn’t so easy. I had to talk extra precautions and made sure he wasn’t awake whatsoever when I left.

The night air stung my face with its sharp wind, I pulled my cloak tighter around me, Ak-Sa squirming on my shoulder. I brought her just in case I got into trouble and needed to send a message, which has happened before. Always good to be prepared when you know you’re going somewhere dangerous, I found that out the hard way many times. 

The streets were desolate, which just reminded me more persistently of the touch of traffickers on the town. Usually there would be at least one or two people out and about in a town like this, even at this late hour. At the thought of that there was a noise from behind me, a presence and scent became prominent in my mind’s eye. The scent familiar in my nostrils and I internally cursed. 

“Yona, come out. I know you're there.” I dragged a hand down my face as I turned to see the princess trying to hide in an alleyway a few feet away. I put my fists on my hips,

“It's not too late to turn back, good thing I caught you before I made it out of the town. Come on, let's go.” Yona jumped out and rushed to me, applying her hands forcefully to my cloak, making Ak-Sa fluster. 

“No! You're going to investigate the trafficking town, right? I want to go too!” Her eyes shone brilliantly in the light reflected by the high moon. I felt my heart waver for a second but I pushed it down as I looked away, 

“It's not a matter of wanting. It's too dangerous, we agreed on this. I'm taking you back and I'll still have enough cover of night to do some poking around.” Yona stiffened her lip and looked me straight in the eyes with that hardened look she gets sometimes. 

“People could be in trouble and I can't sleep soundly knowing that. Plus, if I go back now I just might wake up Tori with all my unsound sleeping.” She gave a small look to me as I physically recoiled at the mention of my advisor’s name. She knows just what buttons to push, doesn't she? 

“Fine, but promise you'll stay close.” She nodded enthusiastically as I sighed. There's no stopping the stubborn princess, is there? But I like that about her. 

“You really have a thing for following people when you’re not supposed to, don’t you?” She simply giggled at that as we walked outside of the town and into the open fields. The darkness creeped around us as night continued to roll on as we walked. It would only be about five more minutes till we hit the town at the pace we were going, but I felt strangely calm. 

“I was almost sold as a slave once.” My voice broke the still air of the night and I could feel Yona’s startled eyes on me. I don’t know why I suddenly felt the need to tell her this, but I can’t take the words I confided to her back. Yona dropped her pace slightly, 

“I’m sorry. That must have been terrible.” I felt a small smile tug at my lips as I lifted my hands above my head in a stretch, placing them behind my neck as I spoke. 

“Luckily Tori found me before anything bad happened, but yeah, it was terrible.” The memory wasn’t all too bad, not anymore. It felt almost like a dream looking back at it now, but I met Tori and that’s something solid in that dream-like scene that would never fade away. 

“We’ll catch these bastards though, I promise you that.” I clenched my fist as I brought my hands back to my side, this had seemed to make the princess smile as she picked up her pace once again. I looked from her to the horizon, little lights flickered not too far away. We made it to the human trafficking town.


	8. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This town's got more to it than Shoe thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for all of you!

The town was bustling, even at this late hour, making the town we left behind seem like nothing more than a ghost town in comparison, and in a sense it was. It may have more nightwalkers, but the quality of people was definitely lower than anyone we saw before; suspicious, rugged, and threatening people placed themselves all over the place. Once you got past the natural smell of body odor that hung palpably in the air from the horrendously unclean people roaming the streets and alleys, there was a distinct scent of blood hanging in the air. I unconsciously placed a hand over my mouth at the stench, clutching Yona’s hand tightly before pulling her cloak’s hood over her face roughly. We walked in the alleys, no one taking much notice of us; they being too busy drunkenly staggering around or cackling in groups, and we didn’t stick around for very long for anyone to take up an interest in us anyways. 

We weren’t even sure where we were supposed to be looking, no less take down the traffickers like I had so boldly proclaimed earlier. I’m starting to understand why Tori always worries about me, but I’m already here and I’m confident I’ll figure things out as I go- it’s one of my good points after all. At that moment I scented something familiar, but at the same time, it was a scent of a stranger. I pulled Yona’s arm as I entered a small gap between two buildings, pinning her against me as I covered her mouth from calling out in surprise. Ak-Sa flew up silently and watched us from atop the opening of the building’s gap, looming in the middle so that she was not seen from outer streets. Yona looked up to me in confusion, craning her head awkwardly because of the small space we were in. I simply placed a finger to my lips in a hush motion, my other hand still on her mouth. 

“Are there anymore women here?” A gruff voice echoed off the stone buildings, the drawn out, almost nasal words gave a protruding accent in his throat, one all too familiar. He sounded like the men back in the castle of my kingdom. I peeked my head out ever so slightly to see a man surrounded by guards, his clothes weren’t the loveliest, what with the coating of dirt and fringed, used edges, but they were definitely my kingdom’s garb. The guards wore some sort of armor, but at my angle, I could only see the tall man at the head of the group clearly. The way he stood was different from the rest too, suggesting he was more than just a commoner. I didn’t think I knew him, but something was tugging inside me, then I realized something was actually physically tugging me too. I quickly let go of Yona’s mouth, her hands in the middle of trying to tear my fingers away from themselves. 

“Sorry.”, I whispered and she nodded, breathing slightly heavier. Voices started to get closer as I half-heard a response to the man’s question. I quickly pushed the princess deeper into the gap until we reached the end. It lead into another side street, a small rickety storehouse, or it used to be one judging by its deplorable exterior, stood in the shadow of the next building over. 

“Get in.” That bad feeling persisted as I shut the door, tying it closed with some unravelling twine from one of the broken shelves. Yona took a seat on the dirt, peering through one of the many holes that graced the wooden walls. The holes were all fairly small so it would give us enough cover from anyone walking by. She looked to me with concern gracing those vermillion orbs, 

“Did you figure something out? Those men mentioned girls, maybe we should follow them.” I sighed as I bent down to the floor, my arms grasping my knees in a tight hug- I feel I figured something out, just maybe. It seems Kouka was becoming the target for more than just the Kai empire. 

I realized I still hadn’t answered Yona’s question as I quickly stood up, 

“We will, but by scent. We should wait till there’s enough distance between us so that we won’t get caught. We can’t linger in the open for too long, so we’ll wait here.” A rustle came from above and I immediately grasped Matthias, but my nerves cooled as Ak-Sa squeezed her way in from one of the larger holes in the roof, her wings rapidly fluttering till she landed on my shoulder. 

“Good girl.” I nuzzled her for a moment before placing her on a fairly large shelf, one that still held strong, and placed myself next to Yona. The night air was still cold, but it was slowly warming up, however, now that our bodies weren’t moving and we were sitting on the cold earth I could feel Yona shudder next to me and I was close to doing the same. I moved closer to her, wrapping my cloak around her the best I could so that I could transfer some form of heat to her small body. Just a few more minutes, that’ll guarantee a safe distance. I’d like to wait longer, but with the musk and strong odor of blood, I was afraid their trail would be lost to me if there was any more than that. 

I continued to listen to the outside noise and Yona’s breathing until Ak-Sa made a small noise and ruffled her feathers in the equivalent of a shudder. I should contact Tori. With knowing someone possibly from our kingdom is involved she’d want to be informed immediately so that she could stop the link from damaging my name. I’m going to get a lecture later, but with us following the men’s tracks we might end up in trouble later. 

I undid the button to the cloak so that Yona could still use it as I stood. I expected some form of protest in me not using the cloak at all, but as I looked down I saw she was fast asleep. I smiled, she walked a lot today, so it’s to be expected she was tired, especially since she has yet to sleep because of our little adventure here. I lifted my arm to the bird, she climbing obediently on, 

“Go fetch Tori for me. Okay?” I spoke in a whisper as I quickly undid the twine holding the door shut, pushing her out of the small gap of the door. She flew faithfully away, but as soon as I was about to pull my arm back inside the shelter of the shed I felt a rough hand grab my wrist; pulling me outside with a large bang against the door. 

Yona jolted awake at the noise, her eyes wide and confused from being pulled out of the realms of sleep and into such a situation. The man was large, muscles bulging as he swung me around and twisted my wrist behind my back; pulling it upwards till my face scrunched in discomfort. It was one of the guards from earlier, judging by his Crystal Kingdom armour, though it wasn’t the black and purple ones from the capital, so it’s one of the outer tribes. I stopped analyzing once he tugged my arm higher into the air, making me yelp. The man’s voice touched my ears and sent irritation through me immediately at how close he was. 

“I wouldn’t do that missy.” My eyes focused on Yona inside the old, small building. Her crouched frame fit perfectly inside the open doorway, her hand reaching for her bow on the ground while her other hand already on an arrow from the quiver on her back. The young girl paused at the man’s words, but there was no hesitation in her eyes. I could feel his hands begin to perspire and a loud swallow emanate from his throat, Yona’s strong gaze must be having an affect on him, it does a lot of people. 

I took the opportunity of his mild distraction to pull on my arm as hard as I could away from his grip; it slid away easily. Before the guard could even look at me in surprise Yona grasped her bow and strung an arrow through it, letting it fly in an instant. The metal head dug its way home into the large man’s right shoulder, making him grovel to the floor in pain. 

Yona quickly ran to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the opposite direction of the wounded man, but a little ways down the road stood the rest of the guards- five of them. I swung my head back to see the man Yona had shot back on his feet and blocking our only other escape with a ferocious expression as he gripped his bleeding shoulder. The road seemed strangely empty considering how many people were around just a few minutes ago, but now it’s just us filling the street.

I pulled out my sword and stepped in front of the princess, gritting my teeth as their scent drifted downwind. Why did I know this scent so well? I felt frustration and trepidation bubble in my chest as I snarled at the men in front of me as they tried to take a step forward. 

“I didn’t think I’d see you here.” My blood ran cold. I swung around to see the man from before, the one whom looked like he was in charge, grabbing Yona by her hair and covering her mouth with that filthy hand of his. My body tensed as I held back from lunging at him, eyeing the group behind me as I saw them inch closer. The way the man in front of me smiled and roughly swung Yona around as he fumbled through his robes made me bite my cheek to the point I tasted blood. I could feel a strong growl erupt from the back of my throat as I raised my sword, but my hand stilled as I saw a flash of silver. He held a dagger to Yona’s neck. The dagger was carved with a certain insignia that made me narrow my eyes,

“You’re from the Light Tribe…” I muttered as he gave that impious grin. Those outfits were most definitely from my kingdom, but that dagger means they didn’t simply steal the clothes but are truly citizens of the Crystal Empire. The man’s thick accent cut through the thin air,

“Yes, we are. I’m surprised you could tell, not many people have heard of my home country yet, no less my tribe. Thank you, however, for bringing the princess of the Kouka kingdom here, even if she doesn’t hold power anymore. There are those who will pay a high price for her head.” He gave a boisterous laugh as he brought the engraved dagger closer to Yona’s throat, her eyes looked more angry than scared though, which was good. I took in a breath, dispelling all irritation that was provoked by the man, looking at him with calm fury. 

He was just about done with his fit of manic laughter but I didn’t give him the chance to focus again as I shot forward. I was ontop of him before he could even comprehend my movements. I rounded behind him, jumping onto his back while cradling his thick neck with my arms. My sword was gripped tightly in my mouth as I dug my feet into his lower back and pulled my weight backwards. His hands immediately let go of the dagger and Yona’s mouth as he brought them to my arms in an attempt to pull them free. I could feel his body teetering as he frantically walked backwards to try and counter my feet pushing forward and my arms pulling his neck backwards. Just as he was about to fall was when I undid my grasp and kicked him away from my person, he sprawling onto the floor with a wheezy as he grasped his throat.


End file.
